Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-07-03

IUNt It Uhu bStu QOt Only
doctor Of medicine, but doctor OF
philosophy and q doctor OF diyini-
~ as well but II he really had been
parson, lie was wise to conceal it, for il
The boys had entertained the most re-
mote suspicion Of sermon, not man
on that river wonld have gone within
mile of "Thc Old ye-Pipe Ranch"
But he came to be considered the most
learned man that had ever entered that
part Of the country, and in the end. in
his quiet way, really succeeded in doc
toriDg our souls good deal as well as
our bodice.
HaIry and never tired Of admiring
that melon patch, and think we liked
it better than all the philosophy. 81
never saw such patch, even in Vir-
ginia," said Harry TO the Doctor one
day. "What do you do to them, Pro-
fessor. to make them thrive in TINT
way 2"
He knew Gil about them bugs,
said Jake, blowing the Professors
trumpet as usual.
Tie Professor laughed. "There is
something in knowing about the bugs,
OF course, and Jake is right so far, but
/ will tell you: II consists. think, in
q very simple matter. 1t is well known
that wheat, for example, reaches its
greatest degree of productiyeness at
the northern limit OF its habitat, If j
may use the term. This | translate to
mean that the long winter, followed by
the warm. moist spring and fervid
summer, force the growth from birth
to maturity in the most rapid possible
manner, and literally without a check.
| think these are the conditions of the
most prolific abundance in all growth.
/ do not mean to imply that all vegeta-
ton produces most abundantly at the
northern limit of production, but un-
| der those conditions most favorable to
its growth and development without
interruption and this, of course, Is
more particularly the case with plants
of extremely rapid natural growth.
Check one of those vines, for example,
| if never SO slightly, and it will instantly
dwindle and remain pigmy among Its
| fellows. ! watch them, therefore, du-
| ring their infancy with great deal OF
care. A very slight protection from
| excessive heat. cold, or moisture is suf-
ficient. Then the hills are so prepared
as to force the most rapid possible de-
yelopment, which, nothing occurring
TO check, you see the result. As to
the insect pest, that is pet subject OF
mine. l have theory that the only
effective remedy is to be found in the
propagation of their natural enemies.
it is difficult subject, / grant, and be-
longs more particularly to entomology
than agriculture but it Will be found
eventually, | am confident, that every
insect has il natural enemies, as have
nearly all other creations i'll nature.
The beetle, or bug as Jake calls it, which
feeds on these vines. has several, as !
have already discovered, some of which
attack the eggs and others the insectin a
later stage Of development. My ex-
pCriments are as yet, OF course, very
imperfect. Life itself" said the Doe
tor with "A sigh, "only permits us to
make a beginning-or at best, one step,
perhaps, beyond our neighbor-one lit
tie notch added to the record. These
pcsts-pests Of this character, | mean
are so immensely productive that the de-
stroyer cannot make great Roadway
but find the insect soon obtains some
consciousness of the presence of its
patural enemy, for it soon abandons
the vicinity and seeks to flourish unmo-
Tested elsewhere"
know nothing about these scientific
subjects. The Professor was full OF
"pet theories and doubtless would
catch me tripping in my science and
correct me, If alive, and he had the
opportunity of doing SO; but l have
stTlven to remember his language as t.
describe his appearance, manners, and
costume. But | must hasten to thu
close OF my story.
Ii was late in the summerof 1901 when
the Cosmopolitan Company finally sue
ceeded, after immense exertions, III bot
toming the deepest part of the deep
pool on "Shorty's Bar. " ! remember
the day well F; shall never forget 1t.
was considered an expert in working
ND the bedrock, into which, if open
grained and suitable, even the finest OF
the fine river gold penetrates wonder
fully. We had sunk in two or three
places. having "sump hole " III each
and n pump worked by al over-shoi
wheel from the race. | got down first,
and. TO my CONSERVATION, found bed
rock as smooth asa billiard bali, as hard
asste land with as little grain. There wa
lust slight hope, Il bare possibility, that
it might be only spot but that hops
vanished as we bottomed 1t III several
places elsewhere and found it all of the
same character. The "deep pool
which was to bave given us all "oul
pile, =" for which we had worked golnl
on four years, and which evtrybod,
had considered "a dead sure thing,
proved to be--pertectly barren The
force of the stream, an eddy, or some
thing, had swept it as clean and 20
lishodas a cylinder-head or mahogany
dining-table.
There were quite n lot of Us stand
ing looking disconsolate at this wreck
of all our hopes, when our attention
was attracted to Portugee Jake, who
was going through u lot Of antics liz.
clown at Christmas pantOmime. HO
Was queer.looking character anyway
with hls shock OF black curly hai
standing cut from the sides of his heG,
as though stuffed and with IN odd ca
something like a colored nighteal
rerchcd on top. He used to talk 8
much with his hands and arms as wit
his mouth, and that was not little
he was 1T 81 excited. Well, there h
was, cesticulating like lunatic, holl.
ing up bis hands, shouting, shown,
first three long, snaky, supple fingers
then four, then five, then actual,
dancing with excitement and trying I
talk with his legs as well AS with nj
the rest of his body.
We were too far away to hear wha
he said or 10 catch hismeaning, bat "
saw il must be something out OF tn
common by the effect it had on til
boys who heard it, as they were not j
the habit of paying much attention t
Jake's talk. Presently Captain Paine
who was in the hole with me, had hi
curiosity awakened, and beckoned t
Jake, who came over to the bank aboy
us and We mt through the same perform
ance. We couldn't hear very well o
account Of the noise OF the water i
the race, the dripping of the pump
and the squeaking of the oversize